DIY Autoflowering Cannabis

by Jeff Lowenfels

  Praise for DIY Autoflowering Cannabis

  For the first time, short-blooming cannabis varieties are available in seed form that put easy cannabis growing within reach of gardeners anywhere in the United States. Jeff Lowenfels’ DIY Autoflowering Cannabis provides everything you need to source seeds, grow, and harvest your first cannabis plants!

  SHANGO LOS Shaping Fire Podcast

  DIY Autoflowering Cannabis is an approachable and necessary guide for dedicated beginners and gardening ninjas alike. Lowenfels’ book is the ultimate course load: history, biology, chemistry, Latin and home use (yes, there are recipes!). Readers are actually encouraged to skip class to experience things first hand. I learned an incredible amount about autoflowering cannabis—better yet, I was inspired.

  JULES TORTI editor-in-chief, Harrowsmith magazine, and author, Free to a Good Home: With Room for Improvement

  DIY Autoflowering Cannabis is the book to read for anyone who wants to be at the forefront of cannabis cultivation. Jeff Lowenfels weaves together the science and hands-on cultivation of this new breed of cannabis into an informative, enjoyable, and often humorous, good read.

  LEE REICH PhD, scientist, farmdener (more than a gardener, less than a farmer), and author, The Ever Curious Gardener

  At last, something easier and faster, and gentler than habanero peppers to satisfy our lust for home-grown satisfaction. Always loved Jeff’s plain-spoken enthusiasms, but this easy, beautiful book is a fantastic inspiration for enjoying this alluring breakthrough plant!

  FELDER RUSHING NPR host and founder, Slow Gardening

  Jeff Lowenfels is the best go-to author for cannabis information that I know. At a time when the internet is filled with myths, rumors, or downright inaccurate information about this plant, Jeff provides accurate, useful, and accessible advice that all cannabis growers can use.

  C.L. FORNARI author and co-host, Plantrama Podcast

  It’s an honor to have such a legendary author write an entire book on a plant so near and dear to our hearts! We commend you Jeff for bringing the attention of others to this amazing plant that we love so much! The use of plant history, growing information, and garden humor makes this book an enjoyable gateway to the autoflowering cannabis plant that can be enjoyed by anyone!

  MEPHISTO GENETICS

  Copyright © 2020 by Jeff Lowenfels

  All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Diane McIntosh.

  Cover image by Harold Frazier, New Breed Seed

  Printed in Canada. First printing October 2019.

  Inquiries regarding requests to reprint all or part of DIY Autoflowering Cannabis should be addressed to New Society Publishers at the address below. To order directly from the publishers, please call toll-free (North America) 1-800-567-6772, or order online at www.newsociety.com

  Any other inquiries can be directed by mail to:

  New Society Publishers

  P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0, Canada

  (250) 247-9737

  LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION

  Title: DIY auto-flowering cannabis : an easy way to grow your own! / by Jeff Lowenfels.

  Other titles: Do it yourself auto-flowering cannabis

  Names: Lowenfels, Jeff, author.

  Description: Includes index.

  Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20190145153 | Canadiana (ebook) 20190145161 | ISBN 9780865719163 (softcover) | ISBN 9781550927085 (PDF) | ISBN 9781771423045 (EPUB)

  Subjects: LCSH: Cannabis—Propagation—Handbooks, manuals, etc. | LCSH: Marijuana—Handbooks, manuals, etc. | LCSH: Gardening—Handbooks, manuals, etc. | LCGFT: Handbooks and manuals.

  Classification: LCC SB295.C35 L69 2019 | DDC 633.7/9—dc23

  New Society Publishers’ mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society, and to do so with the least possible impact on the environment, in a manner that models this vision.

  Seedling GBD/DAZ MEPHISTO GENETICS

  CONTENTS

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  PREFACE

  1 SOMETHING TOTALLY NEW FOR THE HOME GARDENER

  2 A BIT OF BOTANY AND CHEMISTRY TO GET YOU STARTED

  3 EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES YOU WILL NEED

  4 LET’S GROW SOME AUTOFLOWERING CANNABIS

  5 PESTS AND OTHER POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

  6 HARVESTING, DRYING, CURING, AND STORING

  7 ENJOY YOUR HARVEST

  8 HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN HEIRLOOM VARIETIES

  9 AUTOFLOWERING BREEDING STOCK: SOME CLASSICS TO KNOW, GROW, AND USE

  10 THE FUTURE OF AUTOFLOWERING CANNABIS

  RESOURCES

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  A NOTE ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  SO MANY THANKS to Judith Hoersting for letting me go into the writer’s rabbit hole and putting up with me. Kudos to Harold Frazier at New Breed Seed, Fred Gunnerson at SoFreshFarms, Gdb/Daz at Mephisto Genetics, Sebring Frehner, and Full Duplex for their help and fantastic photos.

  This book is dedicated to Tom Alexander, unsung hero for all he has done for the cannabis movement, and for kindling my interest in Autoflowering Cannabis, the next tomato!

  Flower HAROLD FRAZIER, NEW BREED SEED

  PREFACE

  DIY AUTOFLOWERING CANNABIS, An Easy Way to Grow Your Own, introduces a brand new plant to gardeners, one that is easy to grow, beautiful, and useful too: Autoflowering Cannabis. Why me and why Autoflowering Cannabis? I have been writing a newspaper garden column every single week (without fail) for nearly 45 years. If there is one thing I have learned from writing all those columns, it is that gardeners, even the most casual, are always looking for something new and different to grow.

  This is why breeding new plants for the home gardener is a huge industry. Every spring, new varieties of roses, pansies, petunias, hydrangeas, and more appear in box stores, greenhouses, and nurseries. For most gardeners, the new plant introductions are the best part of the catalogs that come out each year. However, it isn’t often that a whole new category of plants becomes available to the home gardener.

  Now that Cannabis prohibition is ending, you would think there would be lots of interest in growing Cannabis in home gardens, and on porches and decks. Unfortunately, there are a number of really big obstacles that prevent regular Cannabis from becoming a popular home garden plant.

  First, the biggest barrier is that regular Cannabis plants are dependent on daylength to bloom. Actually, it is night length, but either way, this is known as photoperiodism. Nights must be more than 12 hours before flowering will start, and it is the flowers that are harvested.

  This is not a problem in and of itself, but shortening days are accompanied by cooler weather in most places around the world. In many, frosts kill the plants before they are ready to harvest.

  Not so with Autoflowering Cannabis! Autoflowers (for short, also called Day-Neutral Cannabis and, sometimes, Automatic Cannabis) do not flower based on a photoperiod. They can flower anytime, indoors or outdoors, regardless of how long (or short) nights happen to be.

  This kind of Cannabis evolved in Northern climes where the growing season is extremely short. To survive, plants must grow very fast and produce viable seeds before they are killed by the chill. Over time, some evolved so that genetics trigger timely flowering, not a change in photoperiod.

  As a result, home gardeners who grow Autoflowering Cannabis don’t have to worry about-immature plants being taken down prematurely. I garden in short season Alaska, so I know this firsthand.

  Moreover, since Autoflowering Cannabis is not triggered into flowering by light or darkness, gardeners don’t have to worry, as do regular Cannabis
growers, about street lights or someone accidently interrupting a dark period by turning on lights.

  The second major problem with regular photoperiod Cannabis is that these are normally really big plants, some reaching 3 meters (10 feet) or more high (sorry) and just as wide. These are much larger than the casual gardener can handle. They certainly don’t fit on an apartment or condo deck.

  Once again, Autoflowering Cannabis has it covered. These plants are much, much smaller than their cousins. Some are Lilliputian and only get 30 to 45 cm (12 to 18 inches) tall! Others can grow to about 90 cm (3 feet), still a size perfectly suited for growing in containers, outdoors on a deck, or indoors under lights.

  Now, photoperiod and smaller plants would be quite enough to convince many to grow Autoflowering Cannabis, but there is one more convincing factor. Larger regular varieties of Cannabis can take several months and more to flower. Often seeds started in April don’t produce until December or January (or even later). Not only would this try the patience of a home gardener, but as earlier noted, in most cases cold weather would take them down. Growing Cannabis is limited to those that have a long enough growing season or an indoor growing area.

  Ah, but Autoflowers start flowering after only 2 to 3 weeks and can often be harvested after as little as 7 to 8 weeks. There is no problem getting at least one outdoor crop each summer, and an indoor gardener can grow them anytime of the year.

  To add to all of this, Autoflowering Cannabis plants have now been bred to produce the same level of chemicals for which commercially grown regular Cannabis is famous. This makes it possible for the home gardener to grow useable Cannabis instead of buying it.

  These plants, minus the chemicals, are surprising similar to tomatoes. In fact, I often compare the two plants, as you will see! The point is, if you can grow tomatoes, you can quickly learn to grow Autoflowering Cannabis. (Here is where I should make a lame joke about Autoflowering Cannabis as the new stewed tomatoes.)

  There are lots of other attributes to Autoflowers that will entice the hobby gardener. However, at the top of the list, Autoflowering Cannabis plants are very easy to grow once you become familiar with them. In addition, they are attractive plants that usually have a delightful smell. And, you can breed your own, just as you might develop your own heirloom tomatoes.

  So, for gardeners who are looking for something new and different to grow, here it is! Autoflowering Cannabis is a brand-new category of plants that are easy for any gardener to grow, from casual to expert.

  There are a myriad of Cannabis books covering the photoperiod type. Many of these are coffee-table books with fantastic pictures I call bud porn. Others are written for would-be commercial growers. Often they are kept under lock and key at book stores, for some unjustified reason.

  This book, however, is a very simple guide to get gardeners started and to lead them into the hobby of growing Autoflowering Cannabis at home. The text is predicated on the notion that you are an organic gardener.

  By gardener, I mean that you know how to water a plant, that it needs proper light, and what to monitor to know when things are not going right. If you have never grown plants, fine, but you might need some very basic growing instructions that I don’t provide here.

  By organic, I mean you use what nature has given us via soil, not synthetic chemicals. After all, if you are going to grow Autoflowering Cannabis, you are probably going to ingest it. For this reason alone, you need to make sure yours is safe to consume. Growing organically is the best way to be sure.

  If you are not already an organic gardener, I urgently point you toward a trilogy of books I have written on the subject. Dangerous chemicals have no place in a hobby situation. Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web (Timber Press, 2006) will introduce you to the science of organics and the soil food web. It is crucial to your understanding of how an organic system should work.

  Teaming with Fungi: The Organic Grower’s Guide to Mycorrhizae (Timber Press, 2017) is about mycorrhizal fungi, which are all-important for feeding plants. And, speaking of feeding plants, Teaming with Nutrients: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to Optimizing Plant Nutrition (Timber Press, 2013) is all about what plants need to eat, from an organic perspective, and how they use the nutrients.

  All three of my books will help you be a better organic gardener. They are used by many commercial Cannabis growers all around the globe. They will also help you grow better Autoflowering Cannabis.

  A word or two about pictures: I wanted to include a million pictures but could not due to page limitations. So I opted to limit bud porn here and left out pictures of obvious supplies, or accents to the history mentioned and the like, as you can easily find these elsewhere. You can and should resort to the Internet to see what is out there.

  Finally, and by all means most important, I want you to realize that growing Autoflowering Cannabis plants is just like gardening with any other plant. Nothing more.

  We are discussing gardening as a hobby and not as an occupation. As such, it is supposed to be fun and enjoyable, not stressful work. I can assure you that once you start gardening with Autoflowering Cannabis, you will soon see what makes them so fascinating to me and why I have come to believe that they will be the home gardener’s next tomato.

  1

  SOMETHING TOTALLY NEW FOR THE HOME GARDENER

  CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE embarking on growing something totally new to home gardeners, Autoflowering Cannabis. These are special plants developed as a way to improve upon the attributes of its parents, Cannabis sativa, indica, and ruderalis. The history of this development will give you an appreciation of what these plants are, what they can do, and what you should expect. This all adds up to why you should grow them.

  Cannabis originated in Central and South Asia where it has grown at least since the Neolithic period, some 10,000 or so years, BC. By 500 BC, Russian, Japanese, and Chinese craftsmen were growing and using Cannabis plants to produce cloth as well as rope. These plants were probably not psychoactive, though they were most probably used as medicine.

  GROWING CANNABIS IS NOT NEW

  Somewhere along the way, the plant’s psychoactive properties were discovered (and probably increased by breeding methods), though the importance of this was limited to religious ceremonies (and, surely, the occasional farmer who grew a variety that allowed family and close friends to indulge). It was Cannabis’s ability to be made into rope, cloth, and paper that mattered.

  Hemp has many uses as a result of its fibrous nature and can be made into fiber, paper, yarn, textile, and rope. JOEP VOGELS, TEXTIELMUSEUM TILBURG - WIKICOMMONS.

  Cannabis was so important that, in 1619, the North American colony of Virginia passed a law requiring all farmers to grow Cannabis sativa (L.), the variety of Cannabis that is known as hemp. A similar tax law was instituted in the colonies of Massachusetts and then Connecticut. In some colonies, hemp was even accepted as currency. The end result is that the US Constitution was written on hemp paper.

  For about 150 years after the US Revolution, hemp was the United States’ largest single cash crop. In the early 1800s, in order to stimulate production, the Canadian government started to give out hemp seed to farmers. These efforts were successful in starting a Canadian hemp industry.

  Use the correct term, Cannabis.

  The word marijuana originates in Mexican Spanish and through the work of Harry Anslinger became closely associated with raving mad Mexicans who wanted to rape white American women.

  To now use the M word would be like erecting a statue to the racist, bigot Anslinger, whose efforts resulted in billions of dollars of waste and an incalculable amount of harm to those incarcerated.

  Today there are all manner of stories, most of them true, about the use of Cannabis by famous Americans and Canadians. The most famous of these is that as a tax-paying Virginian, George Washington, even while President of the United States, grew Cannabis. (Or, rather, the slaves he owned did.)

  NORTH
AMERICA STOPPED GROWING CANNABIS

  In the early to mid-1900s, Cannabis use was stigmatized. In 1923, without a shard of scientific evidence, it was made illegal in Canada, a move precipitated by a lone Federal Narcotics Director who had just returned from a League of Nations session where the issue had been debated.

  The change in Canadian law happened almost by accident and very late at night. There is scant record of what happened or why, unlike in the United States. There, a desperate Harry Jacob Anslinger, the head of the US bureau that oversaw alcohol prohibition, created and then conducted a relentless, racially biased campaign against Cannabis.

  You can look up the rest of the story. Anslinger used racism and fake news (he was one of the best at it) to make the case for prohibition of Cannabis. There was absolutely no science involved.

  In the 1960s, US President Richard Nixon’s administration played a role in Cannabis prohibition, again with no science and only politics as support. Even the wife of President Ronald Regan, a few years later, added to the nonsensical treatment of Cannabis.

  There was even pressure put on border crossings between the United States and Canada. All of a sudden, a lot of people in both countries and the rest of the world were being arrested for possessing a plant, even though there was no scientific reason for such actions.

  Maturing wild Cannabis plants (Cannabis sativa var. ruderalis Janisch; syn. Cannabis ruderalis Janisch) and Atriplex tatarica on a private driveway in Saratov City, Russia. LE.LOUP.GRIS, WIKICOMMONS.

  CANNABIS MAKES A COMEBACK

  This is a book on how to grow a plant, not a book about politics. It is enough to note that there has been a sea change in attitudes about Cannabis in North America and the rest of the world. Hence the ability to publish these words so openly.